Biracial Identity Theory and Research Juxtaposed with Narrative Accounts of a Biracial Individual

Posted in Articles, Canada, Identity Development/Psychology, Media Archive, Social Work, United States on 2010-08-16 21:03Z by Steven

Biracial Identity Theory and Research Juxtaposed with Narrative Accounts of a Biracial Individual

Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal
Volume 27, Number 5 (October 2010)
pages 355-364
DOI: 10.1007/s10560-010-0209-6

Simon Nuttgens, Professor of Psychology
Athabasca University, Alberta, Canada

With the increase in mixed-racial parentage in North America comes increased scholarly activity intended to bring greater understanding to the biracial experience. Such efforts, while undoubtedly informative and helpful, fall short when set aside the actual narrative accounts of a biracial individual’s life experience. In this paper I first explore the typical, negative, portrayal of the biracial experience found within social scientific literature, and then compare this with the narrative accounts of a biracial individual. Through this exercise it is shown that factors such as the specific racial parentage and socio-cultural context can have a positive effect on what usually is viewed as a problematic psychosocial experience.

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Claiming a Biracial Identity: Resisting Social Constructions of Race and Culture

Posted in Articles, Autobiography, Identity Development/Psychology, Media Archive on 2010-08-16 20:51Z by Steven

Claiming a Biracial Identity: Resisting Social Constructions of Race and Culture

Journal of Counseling & Development
Volume 77, Number 1 (Winter 1999)
pages 32-35
ISSN-0748-9633

Carmen Braun Williams, Assistant Vice President for Diversity
University of Colorado System

In a world where socially constructed categories of race are misconstrued as biological, the author, a light-skinned “Black,” found herself unacceptable to both sides. From exploring her own Blackness to owning both her Whiteness and her Blackness, her story explores the biracial experience that goes beyond racial identity models.

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